


The Comfort of Strangers

by GlowingMechanicalHeart



Series: Wondertrev Week [3]
Category: Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene, Wondertrev Love Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 10:35:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15604428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlowingMechanicalHeart/pseuds/GlowingMechanicalHeart
Summary: Antiope laid dead. As a general, she is to lay in state for all to bid goodbye to her before she is laid to rest.And she finds that grief has come, she feels bereft. Empty.





	The Comfort of Strangers

She doesn't know what to do. Her mother refuses to listen, she doesn't want to believe that Ares is at large; only Antiope believed that their time would come, and now, Antiope laid dead. As a general, she is to lay in state for all to bid goodbye to her before she is laid to rest.

And she finds that grief has come, she feels bereft. Empty. And her mother is no longer there with her to offer comfort and she feels lost. And she wonders if there is anything she can do to make it better. Wonders if she will feel better if she just forgets, if she were to just follow her mother's orders and stay.

But a little voice inside her head tells her that no, she won't.

She is deep in her thoughts that she doesn't hear the approaching steps. Only feels his presence when he is next to her. She looks at him, full of grief yet curious. "What are you doing here?" Her voice barely above a whisper.

"I came to pay my respects," he replies. Nods towards her aunt, "she shouldn't have died. So I'm here to say I'm sorry." He kneels and lowers his head, his hands entwined in front of him.

She looks at him, "What are you doing?"

"Praying," he answers.

She doesn't interrupt again and lets him be. She simply looks at him and notices his lips moving, what a strange way to pray, she thinks. Only takes her eyes of him to look at her aunt and when she does, all the feeling of guilt washes over her again. Antiope died to save her. She had lowered her guard and had not noticed the man behind her and now, her aunt was dead.

She looses track of time, only to be brought back from her thoughts by him speaking to her.

"I'm sorry for your loss. It's my fault that she and the others are dead." His voice is so sincere she can hardly stand it.

"It is not your fault, she died to protect me," she answers, "if it is someone's fault, it's mine."

He shakes his head, "No, no. It's mine. It was me who they were following, had I not lead them here, she and the others would not be dead. The fault lies with me and I'm sorry."

She swallows, she wants to cry and doesn't know how to respond to that, so she simply frowns and pursues her lips, willing her tears away. He notices it.

"Hey, listen... I'm sorry if I step out of line, but, could I hug you? I mean, she was your family and I'm sorry."

She looks at him, almost daring him to move. At the end, she relents and simply nods and watches him as he approaches her as if she were to break, as if she were a skittish colt.

He stands chest to chest to her and suddenly feels his arms around her. He pulls her towards him and mutters quietly, "I'm sorry, I really am."

There is so much sincerity in his words that the floodgates open, she cries in his arms. And he only rocks her softly while rubbing her back in what he hopes are soothing motions. She wants to be angry at him, but finds that she can't; so she just simply cries and accepts the comfort that his arms provide. She knows her mother would not approve, but she doesn't care. She wants to rage against Ares, who she lays the fault of her aunt's death at his feet. But instead, she simply cries and lets herself be comforted by the solid presence this man gives. 

It's only a while later that she regains her composure. She moves away from him and he lets her go, she wipes her eyes with her hand and whispers, "thank you, I'm sorry I wet your clothes."

"Don't thank me, it's the least I could do. You lost friends and family, if offering some sort of comfort helps, then I'm glad I could provide that for you."

She gives him a watery smile. "You still didn't have to do it, but I thank you."

"Hey, you saved me, least I could do. I'm going to go now, I should sleep. Are you going to be fine? If you want, I could stay a while longer."

Her smile only widens, "I am well, at least, I feel better. I will go and sleep myself. My aunt would not want me to waste away."

"Well then, goodnight Princess."

"Diana, please call me that."

"As you wish, goodnight Diana, rest well."

"Goodnight Steve, likewise."

He nodded again to her and gave one last respectful nod directed at Antiope and left. She looked at her aunt once last time and made her way to her chamber. She felt better.


End file.
